Mop cleaning attachment



July 17,1951

E. J. FRANTA MOP CLEANING ATTACHMENT Filed June 26, 1947 fi INVENTOR- j'c/aara J 1 52222562 v Patented July 17, 1951 I TED S TATES OFFICE,

I $560,853 MOP 'CLEANINQ ATTACHMENT Edward Franta Cicero, 111.

Application rupees, le ivg'sesiallvo. 737;1'1'2 2 Claims. 1 The present invention relates: to amopcleaning attachment particularly adaptedto-be attached to the mop stick or handle'of any mop to facilitate the removal of dust anddirt from thetnop.

It is an object of the present inventionvtoprovide an attachment for the :mopstick or handle whereby the mop may be readily anduuickly cleaned of dust and dirt.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mop cleaning attachment whereby centrifugalforce may be employed to clean the mop.

It is a stil'l'further'obje'dt to provide a mop cleaning attachment which is relatively. simple" in construction so as to be economical to manuf acture, and which may be readily attached to and removed from -'a mop-stick without the use of tools.

Other and further objects of the present invention subsequently will become apparentby reference to the following description taken inc'onjunction with the accompanyingdrawin'gs where- Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating --'the application of the invention to a mop;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-section view of one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 2 as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 3-3;

Figure 4 illustrates another variation of the invention as seen in longitudinal cross-section;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in Figure 4 as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 55; and

Figure 6 illustrates by means of a longitudinal cross-section still another variation in the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring more particularly to Figure 1 there has been shown the application of the present invention to a dry mop commonly called a dust mop, or when the mop material has been impregnated with a suitable fluid, the mop is called a dustless mop. Such mop has a handle or mop stick I I which carries a mop head I2 which supports the mop or mop material I3. The present invention consists of a mop cleaning attachment I4 positioned at an intermediate point on the mop stick or handle I I so that it may be grasped by one hand. The other hand of the individual grasps the upper end of mop stick or handle II and alternately rotates it in the direction of the arrows. This produces a rotary motion of the mop I 3 as indicated by the arrows so that centrifugal force throws outwardly any dust, lint or threads that have been picked up by the mop.

In 'one embodiment as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 t'he present invention'ordevice I4 is formed of-two tubular members I5 and lfiwhich may be held to'getner b suitable securing means such as the:cooperating-threaded portion 11. The outer extremities of the memb'ers 'I hand 16 of the device M havereintorced endrbearing members I8 and "1-9 respectively whichfit cl'osely to the outer surface of the handle II.

The members I5 and I6 are'so-arranged-that adiace'nt their joined or threaded portion I 1 there is formed a recess 2 I Mounted within the recess 21 is a collar '22 whichscarriesaplurality of inwardly projecting friction-tabs 23' arranged to "engage-'- the outer surface of: the handle or stick II. 'From'Figurek-iz it i's 'quite apparent that the outer extremity of each ofthetabs 23 is curved sotli'at' it does not engage-the surface of the handle "I I withsuch fo'rce to mar or scratch the-surface when the'devi'c'e" is :being placed in position; A-t least four'tabs 23 ar'eiprovi'ded as is apparent from Figure 3, although it will be understood thatsa greater number could be employed. Half of thetabs fi' exten'd in one-direction, and the remainder extend in the opposite direction as is illustrated by Figure 2. The friction tabs or supporting means 23 retain in position the ring 22 which in turn determines the position of the device I4 on the handle II. Sufiicient clearance is provided in the groove 2| with respect to the ring 22 that the members I5 and I6 may be gripped by the hand and held stationary while a rotational force is applied to the handle or stick II as illustrated in Figure 1. Such rotational force does not place an undue strain upon the handle I I as is the case where an oscillating motion is imparted to the handle I I in the customary manner which often is accompanied by further shock when the mop material I3 is tapped against a solid or rigid object.

Another variation of the construction of the device I4 is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. In these figures the manner in which the two members I5a and Him are joined together differs from the threaded engagement provided in Figures 2 and 3. In Figure 4 the member I60, is provided with a recess 25 located adjacent a rib or ring 26 which may be semi-circular in crosssection. The member l5a is provided. with an annular recess 21, which recess corresponds to the recess 2I of the preceding embodiment. Adjacent the recess 21 the member IE1 is provided with an annular groove substantially complementary to the ring 26 of the member Ifia. This stepped portion or groove 28 is adjacent to a lip or annular portion 29 which may be bent inwardly as shown in Figure 4. Such an arrangement is particularly possible where the two members 15a and Ilia. are formed of plastic material, since the edge portion 29 may be formed inwardly in any suitable manner, although other interlocking constructions may be used.

Fitted within the recess 21 of the member 150 is a ring 3| having parallel flanges 32 adapted to engage the side walls of the recess 21 thereby to limit the axial movement of'the member Ma. of friction engaging tabs 33 which alternately are arranged to extend in opposite directions. Here again the outer edges of the tabs 33 are curved so that the edge portions thereof will not in any way mar the outer surface of the stick or handle II. The ring 3| therefore serves to frictionally determine the location of the rotatable member Ma on the handle ll.

Stillanother variation in the construction is illustrated in Figure 6 which shows that the member IE1) is provided with a recess 34 for receiving toroidal spring 35. The spring 35 frictionally grips the stick or handle II and thereby positions the member 14?). The manner of constructing the two members 1517 and I612 may be similar to that illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

From the foregoing itwill be noted that the attachment for the handle of the mop is readily placed in position where it remains until the device is to be removed'for application to another mop. The bearing surfaces [9 and i8 permit ready rotation with adequate support so as to facilitate centrifugal cleaning of the mop material. In all embodiments a centrally located friction attachment device is employed for positioning the member 14. The construction is simple and economical to manufacture, and does not require any special tools for its installation. The device is a substantial guarantee against breakage of the handle I l during the mop cleaning operation.

While for the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings a par- The ring 3| is provided with a plurality.

. sleeve having at its center an internal annular groove, a stamped ring member mounted in said groove, said member having a plurality of oppositely arranged friction fingers for gripping said handle to position said attachment thereon, said sleeve being arranged to revolve freely about said ring member.

2. A mop cleaning attachment comprising a sleeve having bearing surfaces arranged at opposite ends to receive the handle of a mop, said sleeve having an internal annular groove, said sleeve being formed in at least two portions connected together adjacent said annular groove,

and a stamped metal ring mounted within said groove, said ring having a plurality of oppositely arranged friction tabs for resiliently gripping said handle to position said attachment thereon, said sleeve being arranged to revolve freely about said ring.

' EDWARD J. FRANTA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 184,918 Siddall Nov. 28, 1876 "186,254 Jackson Jan. 16, 1877 901,835 Ringer Oct. 20, 1908 1,742,914 Holden Jan. 7, 1930 1,800,254 Holmes Apr. 14, 1931 2,134,863 Dvorak 1- Nov. 1, 1938 

